1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners.
More particularly, it relates to the type of vacuum cleaners having a separate power head which is detachably connectable with the vacuum cleaner housing.
2. The Prior Art
It is known to have vacuum cleaners whose housing contains a dust receptacle and a source of electrical energy, but wherein the actual suction effect is produced by an electric motor which is accommodated in a separate power head that is detachably connectable with the housing (and which usually also is provided with rotary brushes and/or carpet-beating elements). Of course, the housing itself also has a suction-producing motor which, however, operates only when the vacuum cleaner is without the power head.
When the power head is connected with the housing, two types of connections must be made, namely, one connection between the dirt intake passage of the power head and the dust receptacle of the housing, and another connection between the electric motor of the power head and a source of electrical energy in the housing. According to the prior art this is accomplished by using a tubular connector having an air channel that communicates the power head intake channel with the dust receptacle, and having additional channels which are separate from the air channel and which accommodate electrical conductors for supplying energy to the power-head motor. These additional channels are provided with a removable cover and lead to a terminal box in which a supply cable is connected with the electrical conductors in the channels. The terminal box is closed by a screw-down cover.
With this arrangement conductors can be led to the electric motor of the power head through a hollow pivot shaft by means of which the tubular connector is mounted in the casing of the power head. However, the aforementioned power cable must be permanently secured to the terminal box and then provided with a plug which is insertable in a net-current receptacle provided on the housing of the vacuum cleaner.
In other words: whenever the power head is connected to the vacuum cleaner housing two connections must be made: one for the airflow and one for the current supply. This is time-consuming and requires manual dexterity so that the operation is frequently found onerous by a user. Also, the initial installation of the electrical conductors in the connector is relatively complicated (they must be carefully inserted into their channels) and labor-intensive, thus making the assembly more difficult and the selling cost of the finished product correspondingly higher.